Deadzone
by Gabberflast
Summary: Shortly after graduation, Xander discovers he may not be the 'normal' member of the Scoobies after all. Unfortunately, he isn't the first one to discover that fact...


Author's Note: In an effort to get myself into the habit of writing more, I decided to start with something that would be 'easy.' Anyway, go easy on me, it's been years since I've written anything longer than a paragraph, and little of that was ever fiction. On the other hand, this is supposed to be practice, so don't got easy on me at all. Tear me to pieces in your review!

Chapter 1

He brought the car to a slow, squealing stop by the side of the road. As he put the car in park it sputtered out on its own before he even reached for the keys. "Well that's not a good sign," he muttered aloud. "I'll be lucky if the engine doesn't fall out of this thing before I get out of Sunnydale."

Xander was undeterred, however; he was packed and ready to go, clothes and supplies haphazardly tossed in the back seat in preparation for his great road trip across America. He'd dreamed of it since he could remember, never having left the town where he was born before. There was just one last matter to take care of before he left.

_Can't leave without saying goodbye._ A smile sprang to his face as he stepped out of the car and took in the sight before him. It was impossible to describe the multitude of feelings that the still-smoldering ruins of Sunnydale High inspired in him as he strolled the grounds; some of his fondest memories took place inside its halls. On the other hand, some of the darkest experiences of his life did too. Now it was gone forever, and with it a major chapter of his life. Staring at the remains of the building he helped blow up, he tried to think of something insightful or grandiose to say.

"Well, bye then," he said. He rolled his eyes and sighed. _Whatever, time to hit the road. I'm getting started way too late anyway. Should have left after saying bye to the gang. _It was silly to be leaving on his trip at night, but Xander was impatient to hit the road. It was even sillier to waste time saying goodbye to a pile of rubble; but here he was.

"Leaving so soon? But you just got here. Maybe you wanna hang around for dinner." Xander peered into the shadows to his side where the voice had come from. Two shadowy figures emerged from the darkness and leered predatorily at Xander. Both wore rumpled suits that would have fit in perfectly in a Hitchcock film.

_Uh oh. _"Look, fellas, I'd love to, but I've got places to go, national treasures to see. Maybe another time," he said as he started to back towards where his car was parked.

"Oh, but we insist." Said the one who had spoken earlier, and on cue both vampires shifted into their demonic visages and began stalking towards him.

"I don't suppose you'd change your mind about eating me if I said that I was best buds with the Slayer and she'd be really peeved if you…you know…ate me?"

"Probably not."

"Yeah, didn't think so." And with that Xander turned and bolted for the car. He could make out the sounds of pursuit from much closer behind him than he preferred. The car was just ahead now, bathed in the orange light of the street lamps. Sharp growling noises and rapid footfalls followed just behind. The cross and stake he kept in his jacket pocket thumped against his chest as he ran, and he hoped to avoid having to use them. _No way. No how. Not dying on the way _out_ of Sunnydale!_

He reached the car door, swung it open, and lunged into the driver's seat. He spared a glance to the side and saw the two vampires closing in as he jammed the key into the ignition. They were close, but not close enough. He'd make it. He turned the key.

That was when the engine fell out of the car.

"Why am I not surprised," he sighed, just as an arm burst through the window and dragged him out of the car. He whipped the cross out of his jacket and waved it in the face of his attacker, prompting the vampire to hiss and drop him as it reeled back. Xander scrambled to his feet and put his back against the car, keeping the cross between him and the two vampires while pulling out his stake.

"Back off! You don't want to mess with me! See? Cross! Stake! And I'm not afraid to use them!" To demonstrate he brandished the cross wildly between the two, which in retrospect wasn't a very good idea. As he waved the cross at the vampire on his right, the second backhanded it from his grip.

"Why am I not surprised."

Xander dove to the side as both vampires lunged at him, barely evading their grasp. Without the car he'd have to fight, hopeless as that sounded; he'd never outrun them. He lashed out with a right hook at the nearest vampire, landing a solid blow that hardly phased the creature. It responded with its own punch, sending Xander flying through the air to land dazedly on the concrete sidewalk. He had barely stopped skidding before the vampire dragged him to his feet and help him limply by his collar.

"Looks like the only place you're going is the morgue," the vampire sneered at him. Xander rolled his eyes and plunged the stake he was still holding into the vampire's chest. Its eyes widened before crumbling to dust with the rest of its body, dropping Xander once again to the ground. He groaned and tried to roll to his feet, but was stopped as a foot came down on his hand. The second vampire pried the stake from his hand and tossed it away before once again dragging Xander up.

"You're going pay for killing Jimmy, meatbag. I'm going to drain you dry."

"Wow, as long as you can do it without talking. I mean really, do vampires not brush after meals? Your breath could kill an elephant."

In answer, Jimmy's compatriot just plunged his fangs into Xander's neck, eliciting a pained gasp.

_So this is how it ends. Three years fighting with Buffy, countless vampires and demons, and multiple apocalypses, and I die at school…_after_ I blow it up. Figures._

The vampire greedily sucking from Xander's fast-weakening body suddenly lifted his head and shoved Xander away, spitting out the blood and wiping at his mouth. "What the hell are you? You taste like dirt!"

Xander blinked hazily and clutched at his bleeding neck. "I dunno…maybe you're allergic to me. I've been told I inspire that reaction in women."

"Ugh, now I'm going to have to find somebody else to feed on tonight."

"Sorry I couldn't help you out. Better luck next time. Now if you'll excuse me, it's a long walk to the hospital." Xander paused for a second as he thought about that. Why was he going to the hospital? It wasn't like the Sunnydale hospital was a national landmark. It wasn't even on the way out of town. Plus he'd been there lots of times before when he got hurt. Oh right, he was bleeding, that's why he had to go to the hospital. He thought. Or did he? It didn't even hurt that much anymore, which he thought might be even more reason to go to the hospital for some reason. He was having a lot of trouble thinking right now.

"Oh, no, I'm still going to kill you. I'm just not going to drain you."

"That makes sense," Xander agreed. "But could we do it after the hospital? I have to go there."

The vampire rolled his eyes and began to stalk towards Xander, who stood there clutching his neck and swaying back and forth. Vague notions of running away or fighting back flitted through Xander's cotton-filled mind. Before he fully processed any of these thoughts, though, the vampire stiffened up and toppled sideways. Xander looked up to see a team of commandos in full combat gear, weapons trained on him and the twitching vampire.

This was too much for the groggy teen, who plopped down onto the concrete. "Tasers? Tasers work on vampires? Wish I had known that sooner." Xander grinned stupidly at the nearest commando. "But now I know, and knowing is half the battle." He gave the soldier a thumbs up and then promptly passed out.

"What should we do with him, sir? You heard what happened."

"We take him with us back to the Initiative. Once he gets medical treatment we can let the doctor decide what to do with him."

"Yes, Sir!"

Into an unmarked van the limp body of Xander Harris was loaded, leaving behind only a blood-stained sidewalk and a broken car. There was no need to clean up those; the police would connect the dots, and the teenager would be just another disappearance in the town of Sunnydale.


End file.
